Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-12-09
GETTYSBURG.
AN EX-CoNFEDERATE GENER-
AIS GRAPHIC STORY.
How His Virginia Mountaineers
Conducted the Confederate
Wounded and the Wagon
Train after the Battle.


the corridor of the Continental Hotel and
talked with a smaller man, with pair
of thin whiskers and suit of yellowish
Scotch cloth, says the Philadelphia
Press. The large mans features were
rugged apd weather beaten. He had a
large aquiline nose, heavy, brown NOUS
tache and shaggy eyebrows, and soft
felt hat, corresponding in shape to that
worn by the Southern officers during the
war, surmounted his full, ruddy face. It
was Gen. Imboden, formerly OF the Con-
federate Army, and he was telling how
in '63, with scarcely more than 1000
cavalry, he conducted 1000 wounded
men and the Confederate Army train
from Gettysburg in safety back to Mary
land.
Late on the night of the Sd, " he said,
81 got my orders from General Lee. 1t
IVES a sad interview; he brought me a
message from a near friend, General
Kemper, whom he had left wounded on
the battlefield. At Chambersburg, not
long before, Kempcr, Pickett and had
spent the night in Picket's tent, and as
we lay side by side Kemper prophesied
that he would die in battle. The mes.
sage was to remind me of that prophecy
and to say it had fallen true. I never
saw Lee so overcome as he was that
night. He was man OF wonderful
equanimity and rarely lost his calmncss.
at Charlottesville once, when our side
had lost ground, he became exc ted and
wanted to lead WilcoG's division into
the fight. The men refused to charge
until he retired to the rear. But when
he spoke to me, in the depth OF that
night, of Picke is grand charge every
muscle in his body quiVered. General
Lee tod me he was about to cntrust the
wagon tran and all his wounded to me.
He would send me additional artillery, bat
could spare no more men. Ee ordered
me cml hat:cally to keep the column 60
ing at all hazards, and warned me that
would probably BE- attacked. l had
about 500 men all mounted, u command
had raised myself around my home in
the mountains of Virginia. All were
hardy mountaineers. There were alb out
$500 wagons, 10000 horses ard 1000
wounded men. 1 stationed companies
of my cavalry about every quarter mile
throughout the train, every fourth body
being more numerous and carrying ar
tillery.
en- the van, where I expected to meet
most opposition, placed my brother,
Colonel Imboden, with quite large
force of the 18th Virginia Cavalry I
fully realized that to lose the supply
wagons meant ruin to the army, and
fearing to leave even the details of
arrangements to my staff | stayed in Get
tysburg until the whole train was in mo-
tion to see that my orders were exactly
carried out. The column extended sew
enteen miles. At 4 o'clock on the after
noon of July 4, in drenching rain,
started with my staff, about six in num-
Der, to gallop to the head of the train.
! have served in plenty of battles, but
never before had realized the horrors of
war as did that night. From every
wagon we passed came the cries, shricks
and mOans of the wounded. General
Lee had kept all the regular ambulances
for use with the able bodied men in the
contingency of another battle, and not a
wagon had springs. Many had not even
straw. In places the road was rocky and
the men were joltcd frightfully every
moment. Some swore some PRAYED in
an agonizlng voice fora stop that could
never order.
$50 narrow was the road that in places
the legs Of our horses were bruised by the
wagon wheels. On the other side, as
well as | could judge, were dense woods.
The darkness was SO intense that mainly
the instinct of the horses enabled US to
keep the road. Now the storm would
increase in VIC ence so that we could not
hear each others voices; again the cries
of the wounded would drown them. But
advance we must, and | ordered the men
as passed along to abandon aud throw
aside any wagon that became disabled,
SO as not to de!ay.the Others. My brother
in the van had instructions to charge and
drive forward at all cost any force en-
countered.
"The road led up the East face of
South Mountain and over the brow The
descent on the o her side was extremely
rugged. The rain continued to descend
in torrents until daybreak The noun
tain streams were rivers which had TO he
forded. In other places the mud was
knee deep. Among the wounded had
two generals, Scales and Fender. The
former is now Governor of North Caro-.
lima. Pcnder was killed little later
at Winchester These two were near
the head of the train. Eccept them |
had no officers higher than n Colonel.
Starting by the Chambersbu"g road we
presently fanh ed it and led off to the
left al ng c)un ~ by-.oad. About
midnight, whi ding with my staff,
was taken with a congestive chi |, brought
on, think, as mmch by the horrors
had undergone as the exposure. My
staff shouted for doctor and one soon
came up Fortunately one of The men
stumbled upon a farmhouse about that
time, | could not keep my saddle. They
took me into the house and the docto,
Injected morphia into my arm Then
was put on horseback again and hurried
forward through the darkness and rain
to an ambulance near the front of the
line. In that lay down while the doc
in the morning from a kind of stupor tc
hear the sound of near firing Ijumped
to my feet and looked out A body o.
Northern cavalry were attacking the
train not stones throw off Some o.
the men.had stampeded, but my black
servant, ste dy as a rock, stood waiting
with my horse by the side of the wagon
Bride in hand A howitzer company
passed at y run, with their gun.
yelled to them to stop and made then
load with canister. Looking up thu
road | saw my brother coming on tn,
ealop at tho head Cf his Eighteenth
irginia Regiment We bag ed tha
whole attacking party A few wer,
KIDD rone escaped.
Through the mo-ning of the 9Th W